


Blood and Bonds

by impalagirl, wilddragonflying



Series: Roleplays [18]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Accidental!Fatherhood, Angst, F/M, First Time, Fluff, Kid Fic, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Parent!Derek, Parent!Stiles - Freeform, Peter kills a dude, Running Away, but it's to save the pack, good alpha!derek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-27
Updated: 2014-02-27
Packaged: 2018-01-13 19:10:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1237753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/impalagirl/pseuds/impalagirl, https://archiveofourown.org/users/wilddragonflying/pseuds/wilddragonflying
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles wants to lose his virginity, so Derek sets him up with a nice female werewolf at a pack mixer. Nine months later, the pack gets a rather stark reminder, and with it comes realizations, feeeeelings, and danger.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blood and Bonds

**Author's Note:**

> Second sterek fic done with impalagirl; I(wilddragonflying) am the one that does all the editing/formatting stuff, so any mistakes here are mine, and mine alone.

Stiles pouts up at the ceiling, aware that he looks like a petulant child but not really giving a shit. It's pack night at Derek's, which has, now that the official business is over with, deteriorated into Isaac telling everyone all about his latest conquest. Not that he's lewd or particularly disrespectful but, well, he's _smug_ about it, and it's pissing Stiles off. The bastard doesn't have to rub it in.

"Aww, is someone jealous?" Erica croons from her position on Boyd's lap, and oh right, Stiles said that last part out loud. "Everyone's getting laid but poor Stiles." Also, Erica is a bitch.

Stiles sits up to fix her with a cold glare. "Almost everyone," he corrects tartly. "I'm not the only virgin in the pack..." He shoots Scott a sharp look. "Right?"

Scott flushes, causing the rest of the pack to snicker. "Sorry, dude, you are on your own here," he apologizes, tucking Allison in closer under his arm while she flushes and smiles embarrassedly.

Stiles' jaw drops. "Are you kidding me?" he demands. "You lost your V-card and didn't tell me? Some best friend you are, oh my God!" Exasperated, he flops back against the couch and sighs, deep and dramatic. "Oh my God, I am the only virgin in the pack. Isaac, have sex with me."

Isaac laughs and pats Stiles's knee affectionately. "No can do, dude," he teases. "I don't do innocents."

Derek rolls his eyes from where he's leaning against the wall. "If you're so worried about it, I got an invite to a pack mixer tomorrow night. You can come with the rest of the pack, pick up someone. Lots of wolves go for the 'virginal' type." Derek only had one virgin he'd fuck, but Derek doesn't do meaningless sex.

"Really?" Stiles asks, perking up. "That's perfect!" He waggles his eyebrows. "Dancing with wolves. Sounds great."

Erica rolls her eyes and throws a cushion af him.

***

Derek had been mingling, and had found a wolf who was willing to go for a quick tumble. He leads her over to Stiles, and introduces her to him. "Stiles, this is Mira. Mira, Stiles."

"Pleasure," Mira says, smiling. She runs a hand through her brunette hair, her grey eyes flashing gold for a second.

Stiles takes a second to gape at Derek in surprise-- he hadn't thought for a second that the Alpha would actually set him up with someone-- before he turns to Mira with a smile. "Hey," he says, somewhat awkwardly. "Nice to meet you."

Mira's smile turns predatory, and Derek turns away, heading to find someone else to talk to. "Aren't you just... _edible,_ " Mira purrs, stepping closer to Stiles. "Derek tells me you've got a problem I can help you with."

"A problem?" Stiles asks stupidly, just barely managing to hold his ground as Mira advances. "Yeah. A-- a problem. Wow. Cutting right to the chase, huh?"

Mira chuckles. "You're adorable," she decides. "And a human member of Hale's pack, too. I've heard about the trouble they've had. You must be so... _strong_ , to survive all of that." Mira leaned in close, inhaling deeply. "Mm. You smell just _perfect_."

"...So do you?" Stiles hedges. It's true; Mira's perfume smells spicy and warm, although she probably wasn't complementing his cologne. He feels completely out of his depth, but there's no way he's going to let that stop him. "You wanna... get a drink, or something?"

Mira chuckles. "If that makes you more comfortable, sweetheart," she says, taking Stiles by the hand and leading him to the drink table. "You want wolfsbane, or plain?"

"Uhh, just normal, thanks," Stiles answers, and accepts the drink with a grateful smile when Mira hands it to him. He downs half of it in one go.

Mira hides her smile behind a cup of her own, wolfsbane-laced, drink. She doesn't bother trying to hide her appraising gaze as she eyes Stiles. "So, Stiles," she starts once Stiles has come up for air, "my room is in a hotel a few minutes away. Why don't we get out of here? Get started on taking care of that little problem of yours."

Stiles splutters, nearly chokes on his drink. "What? Uhh, yeah. Yes. That sounds great." He laughs, nervous. "Lead the way."

Mira takes a moment before leading the human out the door. "I won't do anything if you don't want me to," she promises. "You need to be one hundred percent on this, okay?"

"Oh, trust me," Stiles says, utterly sincere, and boldly takes Mira's hand. "I am."

Mira smiles, tugging Stiles toward the door. "Good," she purrs, waving slightly at Derek as they pass him. "'Cause I've got plans for you."

***

Scott plops down next to Derek. "So you're really okay with him fucking some random girl?" he asks, aiming for nonchalance. Judging by the look Derek gives him, he fails.

The Alpha shrugs. "Not really, but when has he ever shows serious interest in me? You and I both know I don't do casual sex, and Stiles knows it, too."

Scott makes a sympathetic noise. "Can you trust Mira? She's in another pack..."

"I know. She's the best option, though," Derek sighs, watching the door swing shut behind the couple. "I just hope this doesn't come back to bite us in the ass."

***

The sex is, in a word, _amazing_. As soon as they get into the hotel room, Stiles finds himself half-naked and being shoved down onto the bed. Mira follows soon after, crawling over him to capture his lips in a searing kiss before sliding down his body to undo his jeans _with her teeth_. After that, it's kind of a blur. Stiles comes back to himself enough to notice that a condom is being deftly rolled down his shaft, and then his eyes are deftly rolling back into his head when she just climbs on. She rides him, and it's slow and sexy and perfect, and she edges him so many times he's fucking crying when she finally lets him come. They do it a second time, with Stiles on top, but it's over a lot quicker and even though he thinks Mira gets off, he's not entirely sure. Potential lack of orgasms aside, she gives him a soft smile and says he can stay when he thanks her, fucked-out and awkward, and he passes out only a few minutes later.

She's gone when he wakes up, and honestly, Stiles is grateful. He takes a shower, gets dressed in last night's clothes and tries to prepare himself for the walk of shame, lies to his dad about crashing at Scott's when he gets home and is relieved when he seems to buy it. There's no reason to lie, other than sheer awkwardness. He's eighteen; he can do what he wants. Still, Stiles waits until he's alone before letting the smug, satisfied smile creep across his face, and pulls his phone out to text Scott.

**_I think I dropped my vcard at the mixer last night ;p PS sex is AWESOME_ **

Scott laughs outright when he gets the text. **_Dude, ikr? Congrats, man._**

***

The rest of the year passes pretty smoothly, and before the pack knows it, it's the summer before college. Most of them are staying local for practicality's sake, with the exception of Lydia because she's a genius and she got into a really awesome school. Derek doesn't show it, but Stiles thinks he's pleased. After so long of being without a pack, it must feel good to have them all close. The Betas at the very least.

Since he lost his virginity, Stiles hasn't had sex with anyone else. Sure, he's fooled around a few times, with both men and women, but there just haven't been any opportunities to actually go to bed with someone-- but senior year was so busy that no one was getting laid on a regular basis, even the people in relationships, so  Stiles doesn't feel too wretched. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that he'd _lost his virginity_ , he'd have almost forgotten about his encounter with Mira by now.

So imagine his surprise when he opens his front door early one morning and almost steps on a very stark reminder. _Holy shit_. He needs to call Scott.

Scott picks up the phone on the last ring. "Sorry, dude, left it upstairs," he pants. "What's up?"

"Dude!" Stiles hisses into the phone, staring down at the bundle in his arms with a look of absolute horror on his face. "I think I have a _baby_!"

"What?" Scott replies dumbly. "Since when do you have a baby?"

"Since now!" Stiles whines, sounding panicked. "Or, I guess, since I had sex with a werewolf. Oh my God." He risks another glance, but the baby girl is still sleeping peacefully in his arms. "What if she's a werewolf?"

"Dude, calm down," Scott says soothingly, already heading for the door. "Take her inside, I'll be right over, okay? I think I'll be able to tell if she's a wolf. If not, we can call Derek."

Scott hangs up before Stiles can tell him that he's not actually a fucking idiot and has already taken the baby inside, because not only does he _so not need_ interference from prying neighbours right now, but he has no idea how long she's been out there for and he doesn't really want to find out what happens to a baby who's been exposed to the elements for too long. He's still sitting at the kitchen table when Scott arrives, hasn't really dared to move in case he disturbs her, and he gives his best friend a weak smile when he comes into view. "No sudden movements," Stiles whispers urgently. "I don't have a clue what to do if she wakes up."

Scott carefully approaches Stiles, sinking to his knees in front of his friend. "May I?" he asks, his voice a murmur, as he reaches out, one hand hovering over the baby girl in Stiles's arms.

"Yeah," Stiles breathes, his gaze fixed on Scott's hands. "Just... be gentle." For the first time in a long time he's not just hyper-aware of how strong Scott is; he views him as a potential threat, and what the fuck is that about?

Scott glances up in surprise at the sudden increase in Stiles's heartbeat, and he's even more shocked by the wariness he sees in Stiles's eyes. Scott doesn't dwell on it, though; instead, he slowly reaches down, first plucking a piece of paper from the folds of the blanket and setting it on the table before pulling the fabric back to reveal a face that, aside from the nose, looks nothing like Stiles.

"Uh, dude, she doesn't look like you. Definitely a wolf, though."

Stiles follows Scott's gaze, just to confirm what he already knows. "She looks like her mother," he explains softly, and it's true. From the delicate curve of her mouth to the deep blue of her eyes, to the cute little dimple in her chin, the baby he's holding is all Mira. It's how he knows she's his. He looks away, and the piece of paper Scott put on the table catches his attention. "She came with a note?" he asks incredulously. "Oh my God, how cliché is that? Give it here."

Scott doesn't immediately comply, flipping the note open himself to read what's written inside aloud.

"Dear Stiles,

"Well, looks like that condom didn't exactly perform as advertised. Isabel is your daughter; I've chosen her first name, and I assume you'll be giving her your last name, so feel free to give her as many middle names as you like. I don't particularly want a child, but I couldn't abort without insane amounts of wolfsbane. Therefore, I hereby relinquish all rights to the baby girl I've left with you. Neither I nor my pack shall hold any claim to her; she will be raised, I hope, as a member of the Hale pack.

She is a born wolf, so she should fit right in with your pack; she's too young to know anything else.

Good luck, and sorry for the short notice,

Mira."

Stiles' immediate instinct is to scrunch up his nose. "Isabel?" he asks with some disgust. "Well, isn't that... archaic?" He looks down at the little girl, considering. "Izzie, I think." And then he groans. "Oh God, she's mine. She's really mine. I have to keep her. Scott, how do I explain this to my dad?"

Scott shrugs. "How the hell should I know? But you should definitely tell him. He knows about wolves, just tell him you hooked up at a pack mixer, and you fell in the percentage where the birth control failed."

Stiles sighs. "He's gonna go mental," he mutters; "but I don't have a choice, do I? I can't give her away. She's... mine."

Scott smiles softly at the possessiveness in Stiles's tone. "She's yours," he agrees. "We also need to tell the pack. And what're you going to give her for a middle name?"

"I don't know," Stiles says thoughtfully. "I'll ask my dad about family names. If he ever speaks to me again." He grimaces. "I'll talk to Derek before anyone else in the pack, see if he'll accept her as his Beta. Actually, that's probably the most important thing, so I'll just..." He pulls out his phone and types a quick text out to Derek, explaining that he has a situation and needs to see him. As an afterthought, he sends another clarifying that it isn't life or death, but still pretty urgent-- and then he looks up at Scott with an innocent expression when something else occurs to him. "I don't suppose you feel like going on a supply run?"

Scott pulls a face, but nods. "Yeah, I'll get some stuff."

Derek texts Stiles back as Scott's getting to his feet. **_Do I need to come over, or can you tell me like this?_**

 ** _Can you come over?_** Stiles types back, even as he thanks Scott and directs him towards his dad's emergency cash stash. He'll pay it back... somehow. "Just get the basics, man. Diapers, formula, a few onesies, maybe a-- a bassinet. Is that what they're called-- bassinets? Something she can sleep in that won't cost me a limb."

**_Be there in a bit._ **

Scott nods, taking the cash and heading out the door. After about fifteen minutes, Derek shows up, knocking on the door briefly before walking in. There's an odd smell in the air, but it's not threatening, so Derek pays it no mind. "Stiles?"

"Just a second," Stiles mutters, knowing that Derek will hear. In Scott's absence, he grew brave enough to move out of the kitchen, and now he's in the living room carefully arranging cushions around Izzie so that she can safely stay in his dad's chair while Stiles talks to Derek. For some reason he doesn't want to do that with the baby in his arms; until Derek accepts Izzie into his pack, it just doesn't seem wise. Once he's sure Izzie isn't going to roll herself onto the floor or wake up screaming, Stiles backs out of the room and meets Derek in the hall. "Hey, thanks for coming."

"Sure," Derek answers, looking curiously in the direction of the living room. "You wanted to talk to me?"

Stiles blows out a breath and folds his arms in front of his chest. "Yeah," he says slowly. "Umm, how would you feel about having an extra Beta in the pack?"

Derek pauses, watching Stiles curiously. "Are you asking for the bite?"

"What?" Stiles asks, and then laughs. "No, no! I just-- there's someone I want you to meet. Come here." He leads Derek into the living room, and moves to stand beside Izzie. "This is my daughter."

Right on cue, the baby opens her mouth and starts to scream.

Derek startles, his eyes flashing red and a snarl curling his lip as he takes a single step back. "Since when do you have a daughter?" he snaps.

"Since now," Stiles snaps back, scooping Izzie up and holding her protectively against his chest. "That bitch you introduced me to at the mixer, when I wanted to lose my virginity? She abandoned her on my doorstep this morning with a note saying she doesn't want a kid.

Derek feels more than a bit like shit now. "Oh." Derek takes a deep breath, giving himself a few seconds to compartmentalize. "Okay. Did she and her pack formally give up all claims to the pup?"

Izzie is still screaming, and Stiles jiggles her experimentally. It doesn't make much difference. "Yeah, uhh, she put all that in the note. It's in the kitchen if you want to read it."

Derek shakes his head. "Not now." The Alpha steps forward, holding his hands out. "May I?"

A part of Stiles really, _really_ wants to say no, and for a moment he hugs Izzie closer to him, but she's still crying and Derek is giving him this no-nonsense look and Stiles doesn't think he'd actually hurt her, so he steps forwards and gingerly hands her over. "What are you going to do?" he asks nervously, hovering close by in case he needs to intervene.

"See if she's receptive to me," Derek answers, cradling the squalling infant carefully. He growls softly at her, red flaring in his eyes, and Izzie stops with a startled hiccup, staring at Derek with large eyes. After a moment, she starts again, but now it's the cry of a hungry pup, not that of one in unfamiliar territory.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Stiles demands, taking Izzie from Derek and cradling her close. "I think you frightened her, you asshole. Keep your eyeballs to yourself."

Derek rolls his eyes, easily relinquishing the infant to Stiles. "All I did was see if she would accept me. She did; she's crying now because she's hungry, not because she's frightened."

Stiles stares down at the child. She's hungry. Who knew? Derek, apparently. "Why do you know this stuff and I don't?" he asks. "Is it a werewolf thing, or am I just failing as a parent already?" Izzie's cries kick up a notch, and Stiles starts to rock her gently. "Uncle Scott is gonna be here real soon with some formula for you, okay? And then you get to watch Daddy try to work out how to make up a bottle. Won't that be funny?"

Derek hesitates before answering. "I grew up with a lot of born wolves," he offers. "I had a couple of younger siblings. I could help, if you want."

Stiles looks up, hopeful. "Yeah. Yeah, that might be good," he answers carefully. "I mean, she needs to interact with her Alpha, right? So you being around would be good for her. I think." He winces. "I really don't know what I'm doing."

Derek offers Stiles what he hopes looks like a supportive smile. "Yeah. But it's even more important for her to bond to her parent. I'll walk you through making the formula, but you'll be the one to feed her, okay?" He glances down at the still-crying pup in the teen's arms-- geez, she's got a set of lungs on her. "What's her name?"

Stiles pulls a face. "Mira named her Isabel, which isn't as bad as my name, but it's still pretty bad." He waggles his head in a gesture that means he would shrug if he wasn't holding a screaming baby. "I'm calling her Izzie."

"Izzie," Derek repeats, rolling the name around thoughtfully. "It's a good name."

Derek and Stiles spend the time until Scott arrives with formula and diapers attempting to amuse Izzie, with debatable success. She likes watching Derek shift, but she likes playing peek-a-boo with Stiles even more.

Even that doesn't work forever, though, and Izzie is crying again by the time Scott gets back with the stuff. Stiles snatches the bag with the formula out of his hand and marches past him to the kitchen, calling over his shoulder as he goes. "Derek, get in here and show me what to do!"

Scott looks at Derek in surprise, but the Alpha just shrugs and follows Stiles into the kitchen. He holds out his arms for Izzie. "Once you've got the hang of it, or have a high chair, you can do this one-handed."

Stiles hands Izzie over and digs through the bag for what he needs. He follows Derek's instructions to the letter, kind of amazed that he'll be expected to do this one-handed, and once he's finished he holds the bottle up, looking between it and Izzie. "Is there some kind of knack to this?" he asks worriedly. Izzie's still crying, louder than ever before like she knows her breakfast is close at hand, and the urge to just shove the bottle into Derek's hand and run a mile is strong. But he can't do that; Izzie is Stiles' baby, and he needs to learn how to look after her.

Derek jerks his head at one of the kitchen table chairs. "Sit," he orders; when Stiles complies, Derek hands him Izzie. "Get her comfortable, support her as much as possible with one arm." Derek helps Stiles get everything positioned right-- hard to do with a screaming, squirming infant werewolf demanding her breakfast-- before handing Stiles the bottle. "Now, hold it like this," Derek instructs, "and offer her the nipple. Keep it steady, and she'll do the rest."

Stiles does as Derek says, and for a handful of terrifying seconds he thinks it isn't going to work, but then Izzie stops screaming at the proffered nipple and latches on, suckling hungrily. "That's it," Stiles croons, smiling down into his daughter's flushed face. "Isn't that so much better? Uncle Scott is such a meanie for making you wait so long." He looks up at Derek then, and gives him a huge smile. Maybe he can do this after all.

"Hey!" Scott protests. "I can't control the grocery store!"

Derek returns Stiles's smile, but he thinks it looks a bit pained, if the pain in his chest whispering, _Look what you can't have_ , is any indication. "You know how to change a diaper?" he asks instead, trying to distract himself.

Stiles' eyes widen almost comically. "No," he gasps. "Oh God. Oh God, ew. I didn't sign up for this."

"You didn't sign up for-- Stiles. Why are you holding a baby?" John stares at his son questioningly. He's come home to Stiles doing a lot of odd things over the years-- including flailing around the kitchen in only a pair of boxer briefs (the one time John truly regretted coming home from work early; no man should ever, _ever_ see his son like that) with some weird-ass song blasting from his phone-- but this was the one thing John would never have guessed he'd see. Not for several years, at least.

The sheriff notices Derek and Scott standing nearby. "Is the baby yours?" he asks, directing his question at Derek, who shakes his head; Scott mimics the motion when John looks at him questioningly.

"She's mine," Stiles says, because why beat around the bush? "Her mom dropped her off this morning. And, umm. Gave me sole custody?"

John stares at Stiles. "'Her mom'?" he echoes. "Since when did you have sex? Weren't you safe?"

Scott coughs, handing the sheriff the note that was left with Izzie. John reads it, his eyebrows rising further and further up his forehead with each line. "So," he says finally. "I assume Derek's here because he's your Alpha?"

Derek nods. "And Izzie's, too, now."

"Surprise," Stiles adds weakly, giving his dad his best 'please don't kill me' face. "You have a granddaughter."

John stares at Stiles for a moment before moving forward cautiously to sit next to his son and... and granddaughter. "Really?" he asked, looking at the suckling baby girl curiously. "She doesn't look like a Stilinski."

Stiles rolls his eyes. "That's because she looks like a..." He frowns. "Whatever Mira's surname is. Seriously, she's the image of her mother. Which reminds me, I have to pick her middle name, since Mira came up with Isabel. Mom didn't have a middle name, did she?"

John shook his head. "You had sex with a woman and you didn't know her surname? And actually, she did. Rose."

Stiles chooses to ignore that first part in favour of peering down at the baby who is just draining the bottle he's feeding her. "Isabel Rose," he says thoughtfully. "That's almost as bad as Claudia Rose." He laughs. "I love it." Izzie shows her appreciation by spitting the bottle out and yawning, her lips sticky and white and her little eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks. It's at this exact moment that Stiles falls in love.

Derek helps Stiles through the burping (making sure to put a rag over Stiles's shoulder) as Scott and John unload and set up the bassinet. After Izzie has been successfully burped, Derek settles down on the couch. "It'll be a while before she'll need to be changed," he explained. "And pups are more challenging to change than human babies, so I'll stick around and help you through the first couple."

"Thanks," Stiles says with a sigh, sitting down next to him. "I know you're doing this for her, 'cause you're her Alpha and it's your job, but I really appreciate it. I'm probably going to have a massive meltdown later, but you're putting it off. So, thanks."

Derek snorts softly, but answers, "You're welcome."

Scott looks between his Alpha and his best friend, worrying his lower lip; he's really going to have to talk to both of them. Those are going to be some fun conversations.

The first one starts shortly after Derek leaves and the Sheriff goes to find Melissa at the hospital to talk to her. Stiles is still sitting on the couch with a vaguely-traumatized look on his face, a freshly-changed (and still scowling) Izzie on his lap. "Hey, man, can we talk?"

"No, I want you to sit there in silence," Stiles deadpans, staring at Scott for a long moment before rolling his eyes. "What's up?"

Scott shifts uncomfortably, debating how best to proceed. "You need to be careful how you act around Derek," he blurts eventually.

"What?" Stiles screws up his face in confusion. "Why?"

Scott sighs. "Because he likes you. A lot. But you've never been interested in him, so he's kept it hidden. But seeing you with a pup... It might affect him. Not make him go crazy, or anything, but like, make him go from 'I'd bang him and let him spend the night' to 'I love him.'"

Stiles actually laughs, and Izzie coos when the movement jostles her. "Derek doesn't love me. He doesn't even like me all that much." The laughter soon subsides, though, as Stiles considers Scott's words, and his eyes widen. "Does he?"

Scott shakes his head. "Not yet. It's more like a crush. But he's an Alpha, his instincts are stronger, and when he sees you with Izzie, I'm willing to bet he sees both how good of a father you're going to be, and how good of a mate you would make. I'm just saying, be careful, okay? Don't give him any signs he might be able to have you if you're not serious."

Stiles snorts. "Of course I'm not serious. I mean, I'm not going to deny that Derek is hot like burning, but he's not exactly..." He waves his hand around in a vague sort of gesture. "Boyfriend material, is he? He's definitely not _father_ material; he barely manages as an Alpha.”

Scott frowns. "He's been getting better. And just because you don't think he's 'boyfriend material'--" Scott shudders just thinking about what that entails "--doesn't mean he wouldn't make a good one. Just. Be kind, okay? He can be a dick, but he doesn't deserve having his heart broken, even by accident."

Stiles actually looks offended. "I'm not going to break his heart, Scott. You know I'm not like that."

"Not on purpose," Scott says, biting his lip. He sighs, and then adds, "I'm not gonna nag you about this. I'm just telling you, Derek's interested in you. Has been for a while. Don't encourage him if you're not willing to commit, okay?"

Stiles sighs. "I'm not going to encourage anything," he promises. "Especially not now. But he's Izzie's Alpha. He needs to be involved. I need him to be involved, unless you know any other experts on raising baby werewolves?"

Scott sighs, but doesn't push the issue. "I know you need him."

***

When John comes back, Izzie is sleeping in the bassinet, Stiles sitting on the couch watching her. "How you doing?" John asks, sitting next to Stiles.

Stiles blows out a breath and drops his head into his hands. "I don't know," he groans. "God, Dad, what am I doing? I don't know how to raise a child. I'm gonna screw up her life. She's gonna hate me. Oh my God."

John knows better than to try to touch Stiles when he's like this. "You won't," he says instead, confident. "You'll be an amazing father."

"I won't," Stiles whines, his breathing coming in quick little pants. "I'm nothing like you, Dad. I'm a monumental screw-up. I can't do this. Why did I think I could do this? Shit, shit. She'd be so much better off without me."

"Stiles? Stiles, breathe. Just breathe, okay?" When John's sure that his son's not going to have a panic attack, he addresses Stiles's concerns. "You're not a screw-up. You have never done anything that wasn't for the right reasons. Honestly, that baby girl couldn't ask for a better father. Sure, you don't know everything, but no one does. I know I sure as hell didn't when you were born; your mother and I did a lot of learning-by-doing. You've got me, and your pack. Derek grew up in a family of wolves, he'll be able to help you."

Stiles barks out a sharp laugh. "Derek's in love with me," he says. "Or he will be soon, according to Scott. How long is he going to stick around when he realises I can't give him what he wants? And then not only will I not have his expertise, but Izzie'll be pretty much isolated from her Alpha. You're right, Dad, I'll be a great father."

John opens his mouth to reply-- because really? Derek may not be the greatest guy, but even John can see he's devoted to his pack, and would never abandon either Stiles or Izzie because Stiles doesn't return his feelings-- but Izzie wakes up, crying. There's no pungent aroma to indicate another diaper change is needed, so either she's just cranky, or it's feeding time. Either way, this conversation is clearly shelved as Stiles gets up and scoops Izzie into his arms, crooning at her as he heads for the kitchen.

***

Derek feels sick. He'd known Scott was going to talk to Stiles-- Scott had told him he was going to do it-- but he really hadn't thought Stiles's opinion of him was still so low. After everything that's happened, Stiles honestly thinks Derek would abandon Izzie and him just because Stiles isn't interested in him?

Derek swallows, hard, forcing himself to straighten up and begin jogging away, to act like everything's fine. And it will be; Derek just needs a little bit of time to get himself together. He'd known Stiles wasn't interested in him before, he could deal with that; he's been dealing with it. Now he just needs to make sure Stiles knows he's never going to fail his pack.

Not again.

***

Stiles takes Izzie to meet the pack on a Saturday, a couple of weeks after Mira dropped her off. They've spent the time getting to know each other, and Stiles is nowhere near done with his late-night freak outs that often end with him crying on his dad's shoulder, but he's definitely feeling better about this whole father thing. He can even make a bottle one-handed now, just like Derek predicted, and in the dark while half asleep, and he can change a diaper without Izzie holding a grudge against him for an hour afterwards. Perhaps more importantly, he knows the difference between all of her cries, from hungry to sleepy to 'help, I'm wet' to 'just pick me up and give me some love already'. He knows that if he walks up and down while he rocks her and sings Elvis songs, of all things, she'll generally go right to sleep. He knows that on the nights that doesn't work, it's because she has gas and needs her tummy rubbed. Stiles has stayed up until dawn on more than one occasion with his hand in the bassinet, rubbing circles over her pudgy little stomach, just so that she gets some sleep.

In short, Izzie has quickly become the centre of Stiles' world, and he loves her more than he thought was possible. Which is why, a few nights before the full moon, he finds himself standing outside Derek's loft with a diaper bag on his shoulder and a carrier/car seat in hand. Derek's been great, coming over all the time to see how they're getting on and to spend some bonding time with Izzie, but until now Stiles has been keeping her away from the rest of the pack, with the exception of Scott, of course. He doesn't even know if everyone else knows about Izzie, but it doesn't matter. She's one of them, and she's going to need to get to know them sooner rather than later. According to Derek, being familiar with the other members of the pack will be helpful on the full moon, when she'll actually be able to sense them running around. If she doesn't know who they are, she'll freak out. So Stiles braces himself, knocks once and lets himself in.

The rest of the pack has been waiting eagerly in Derek's loft since this morning, and when Stiles walks in, baby carrier in hand, the excitement reaches a fever pitch. Derek's the first to stand, but he holds a hand out when Isaac makes to follow. "Don't overwhelm her; let her get used to all the scents, first," he instructs, and the Betas all nod, gazes fixed on the wide-eyed baby girl. She won't be able to shift, apart from her eyes, until she hits puberty, but she's already got the enhanced senses of a werewolf, and it shows; she's looking around warily, obviously inhaling deeply, and she looks unsure about how to feel about all the strange scents that are combined with her father's and Alpha's.

Stiles greets them all with a huge grin and sets the carrier down, letting the diaper bag slip off his shoulder and to the floor before he bends to pick Izzie up. She's fussy, and her little face is flushed pink; Stiles rubs his cheek against hers like Derek taught him to, scenting her, reassuring her that he's there and she's safe. It hits him sometimes that Stiles probably won't be able to protect her against everything that comes knocking, being human and all, but it isn't time for that now. Nothing can hurt them in a room full of friendly werewolves-- they just have to convince Izzie of that fact.

The scenting thing has calmed her down some so Stiles turns her to face the room, knowing that her gaze will immediately snap to Derek. It may be because he's her Alpha, but Izzie kind of idolises him. Sometimes she even picks him over Stiles when she's taken to screaming particularly loud, but rather than rocking and Elvis songs and tummy rubs, all she needs from Derek is a flash of red eyes and a glimpse of fang. It isn't fair.

As though she wants to prove this point, Izzie starts to wriggle in Stiles' hands, and he gives Derek a nod to indicate that he can take her. "You guys'll have to wait your turn," he says conversationally to the rest of the gang, smiling ruefully. "If she doesn't get Alpha snuggles she'll be moody all night."

The Betas all coo, and the tips of Derek's ears pinken, but he takes the pup from Stiles anyway, scenting her and rumbling softly, deep in his chest. She's still uncertain, but settles in Derek's arms. After a few moments of this, Derek nods to Scott. "Come here," he instructs gently. "Someone familiar, first."

Scott approaches slowly, making sure that Izzie sees him coming, and then stands there, letting Derek take the lead. It's been years since he's seen an infant being accepted into a pack, but Derek just takes it slow, reaching for Scott with one hand, rubbing his palm over the teen's cheek and neck, refreshing his own scent before he lets Scott any closer. Derek still holds Izzie, but in such a way that Scott can lean down, offering himself to Izzie, who promptly smacks Scott in the face with a tiny fist, but she's making little noises and smiling, so Derek nods, and Scott starts scenting Izzie.

Izzie accepts the affection, even returning it, and Derek slowly starts repeating the process with the other Betas once Scott's done. She hesitates with Peter, but she accepts the scenting, even if she doesn't return it.

"That's my girl!" Stiles crows, delighted. When Peter looks over at him, with an expression that could either be amused or angry, he just shrugs. "What? She clearly has great character judgement."

Derek rolls his eyes, nodding to Boyd to go next. Once all of the Betas have scented Izzie, Derek scents her one last time before handing her back to Stiles. "She'll still be fussier than usual, but that'll just be the moon, not us," he explains.

Stiles nods, hugging Izzie to his chest. He wonders idly if his baby now smells like Peter, but Boyd and Erica went after him so hopefully they'll have covered his scent up. "Thanks," Stiles tells Derek sincerely. "My dad will definitely appreciate not being kept up all night." Stiles will stay awake anyway, just to make sure Izzie's okay, but it'll help a lot if she's not screaming the house down.

Derek nods, and Isaac steps up shyly. "Can I hold her?" he asks timidly, looking to Derek and Stiles.

Derek exchanges a look with Stiles before he nods. "I think she'll be fine."

Stiles relinquishes Izzie to Isaac easily enough, but hovers close by as he had done with Derek that first time, ready to take her back at a moment's notice. "You good?" he asks when he thinks Isaac's got a good hold on her, and it seems evident that Izzie isn't going to start shrieking.

Isaac nods, adjusting his grip slightly and smiling down at Izzie, who coos and burbles back at him, reaching up towards his face and whining imperiously. Isaac obediently lowers his head and winces when she grabs a handful of curls and yanks. "Jeez, she's strong."

"She's a pup," Derek chuckles, laying a hand on Stiles's shoulder; kid looks like he's gonna fidget himself right out of his skin. "She can't shift except for the eyes, but she's got the senses and strength of a wolf. She's not as strong as us, but she'll always be stronger than any humans her age."

Stiles reluctantly pulls his gaze away from Izzie to turn to Derek. "How will that affect her?" he asks curiously. "Like, can I put her into school, or will she accidentally break all the kids? Can she have human friends?"

"She'll need to be homeschooled until she has a handle on it," Derek answers. "We all were, growing up. Usually we were homeschooled through elementary and most of middle; I went to public schools starting in seventh grade, but it varies from wolf to wolf. Just depends on how good her control is."

Stiles sighs, looking over at Izzie again. "I figured. God, that sucks. How's she gonna know how to make friends if I keep her out of school for all that time?"

Derek shrugs. "I'm not saying you have to completely isolate her, just that it's going to be a balancing act. It'll help, her being in a stable pack. The state of the pack always influences the state of the individual."

Stiles thinks of Peter, and wonders how any pack with him in it can be considered _stable_ , but he doesn't say anything. It's only just occuring to him how heavily he's going to have to rely on Derek and the others, and he's grateful that he has them, even Peter. A dysfunctional pack is better than no pack, after all.

***

Stiles assures Derek he can handle Izzie on the full moon, and while Derek isn't as confident as the teenager, he still nods and tells Stiles he'll spend the night with the rest of the pack, but if Stiles needs to, he can call Derek, and he'll come over.  Derek hasn't received a phone call from Stiles, but it's currently 2:30 in the morning, and Derek has been feeling more restless than usual all night. He thinks it's not just the moon, but rather having his pack separated. Everyone but Stiles and Izzie is at the loft. Derek skips the front door, opting instead to vault through Stiles's open window. "Stiles?"

Stiles, who is sitting in his desk chair with a hand in the bassinet, jumps out of his skin. The movement disturbs Izzie, and she pauses in her quiet fussing to whine her displeasure. "Jesus Christ, Derek," Stiles hisses as he picks her up and sits her on his lap, facing him. She pouts and waves a fist at him. "Give a guy some warning. What are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

Derek shakes his head. "Not really. Just felt restless; you and Izzie are away from the rest of the pack." The Alpha moves towards Izzie, reaching out to run one hand over her hair, mock-growling at the infant, who bares her teeth at him and fusses, tossing her head. Derek chuckles "She's gonna be like Laura," he murmurs.

"Yeah?" Stiles asks softly, his gaze flickering up to meet Derek's. "In what way?"

"Bossy, demanding." Derek smiles a bit sadly at the memories. "She always had to get her way. But she was fiercely protective of her pack, even before she became Alpha."

Stiles smiles. "Sounds like there are worse people she could grow up to be like," he teases. "Do you wanna stay here for a little bit? Or do you need to get back to the others?"

"Do you mind?" Derek asks. "It just feels a bit odd; I spent most of the night running with the Betas, but they aren't the only ones in my pack, and it felt odd without you two there."

"Without Izzie there, you mean," Stiles corrected awkwardly. "Me being there wouldn't make any difference, would it?"

Derek gives Stiles an odd look. "You're pack, too."

Stiles shrugs, and shifts Izzie so that she's sitting sideways on his lap. As always, her eyes automatically seek Derek out, and she squeals happily when she sees him. "I'm never there on the full moon," he points out. "You've never complained before."

Derek sighs. "You've never really done anything to show that you _want_ to be there on the full moon," he answers, but it's a weak excuse, and they both know it. "But we never would have turned you away if you'd wanted to be there."

Stiles doesn't really know how to respond to that, so he doesn't. Instead, he adjusts Izzie again and says to Derek, "You can hold her, if you want."

Derek offers Stiles a smile. "Thanks," he says gratefully, taking the pup in his arms and bouncing her softly. Izzie giggles and coos at Derek, who smiles at her indulgently. This little girl's already got him wrapped around her finger. "She's gonna be spoiled," Derek predicts, chuckling.

"Totally," Stiles agrees with a yawn. "I caught my dad Christmas shopping for her the other day. It doesn't seem to matter to him that it's summer, or that we can't afford even half of that shit. Only the best for his granddaughter."

Derek grins. "I can understand; I caught Isaac and Erica arguing over her was going to be her favorite. I think Erica's planning on bribing her way into Izzie's heart since she already likes Isaac."

"I was kind of surprised that Isaac took to her so well," Stiles admits. "But I think it's cute. He'll have a rival on his hands if Scott thinks he's gonna steal his spot as her favourite uncle, though."

Derek laughs at that, and Izzie smiles brightly before waving her arms in Stiles's direction. Derek hands her back over just in time to catch the beginning of a diaper change in the making. He snickers. "Looks like you're her favorite diaper-changer."

"Of course I am," Stiles sighs as he gets to his feet. "I don't know. Not only do you have to keep me up all night because you're too busy trying to answer the call of the wild to sleep, but even when someone else is here, it's me who has to clean up your messes. I guess that's parenthood, for ya." He wouldn't change any of it for the world, of course, but that doesn't mean he can't complain about it. He gets Izzie cleaned up and into a fresh diaper, and then hands her back to Derek when she squeals for him-- "Alright, alright! Jeez, don't wake Grandpa or he'll shoot us both!"-- before collapsing back into his chair. "Is it gonna be like this every month?" Stiles asks, passing a hand over his face.

"Until she's a good deal older, yeah. Pups run off of instinct more than older wolves do," Derek answers, slowly pacing Stiles's room, humming under his breath to Izzie as he rocks her. "Why don't you get some sleep? I can handle her for the rest of the night. I never sleep on full moons, anyway."

This is quite possibly the best offer Stiles has ever had, and he aches to take Derek up on it, but... "I can't ask you to do that," he protests weakly. "You have the others to look out for, and we're fine here, she's just a little fussier than usual, is all. You can hang out and spend some time with her, but it'd be selfish if I just dropped her on you and passed out."

Derek rolls his eyes and kicks Stiles's chair over towards the bed, making sure the wheels don't snag on the rug. "Sleep," he insists. "The pack will be fine for a few hours; they're all passed out, anyway."

Stiles is too tired to argue. He's already wearing his pyjamas, so he obliges Derek by getting off the chair and sliding into bed. "Just for a few hours, mind," he yawns as he settles the covers around himself. "Wake me up when you wanna leave so I can take over. I mean it, Derek."

Derek hums noncommittally, already focusing back on Izzie as Stiles's breathing slows. Derek listens to Stiles's heartbeat as he gently rocks Izzie and whisper-sings to her under his breath. When Stiles is asleep, Derek keeps his focus on Izzie until the pup is finally yawning and stretching, tiny pink mouth widening in a perfect 'o'. Derek smiles, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead as her eyelids slide close, eyelashes resting against her cheeks. Once Izzie is asleep, Derek settles into the chair next to the bed, making himself comfortable.

***

It's daylight when Stiles wakes up. He blinks, confused, and rolls over; the sight that greets him takes his breath away. Derek is sitting in the desk chair with Izzie in his arms, and he must have been there all night, but the smile on his face, soft and sweet and utterly adorable, says that he doesn't mind one bit. Izzie's awake, cooing softly up at Derek, and if Stiles thought the man was smitten before, it's nothing compared to what he sees now in the crinkles at the corners of Derek's eyes.

"You have crow's feet," Stiles murmurs before he can stop himself, and he jumps at the sound of his own voice, surprised and embarrassed. He clears his throat and sits up. "I mean, umm. What time is it?"

Derek looks up when Stiles speaks, but he doesn't comment on the teenager's first sentence. "It's a bit after ten. Your dad's already left for work; he stopped in to check on you and Izzie before he left."

Stiles takes a second to imagine his father's face when he poked his head in to find Derek Hale sitting vigil at his son and granddaughter's bedside, and it's kind of hilarious. "I told you to wake me," he scolds, but he can't seem to make himself sound annoyed. "You didn't have to stay with her all night, you must be so bored by now."

Derek shrugs. "You looked like you could use the sleep. Your dad thanked me, actually. Said he knows that Izzie's been keeping you up the past few nights." Derek doesn't add how he's never bored when Stiles is around, even when the teenager's sleeping; he tends to talk in his sleep, about random stuff.

Stiles grumbles as he swings his feet to the floor and scrubs a hand through his hair. "Well, you really shouldn't have let me sleep, but I appreciate it," he concedes, and gives Derek a sleepy smile. "How is she?"

"Good. I fed her and she let me change her without fussing-- I think she knew you were asleep." Derek carefully avoids looking at Stiles's sleep-rumpled hair; the last thing he needs is to make it even more obvious that he _likes_ Stiles.

Stiles raises his eyebrows, impressed. "You should feel privileged," he advises Derek solemnly. "She doesn't even let my dad change her diaper without fuss, most days." As if she knows she's being talked about, Izzie giggles shrilly, and Stiles grins and makes grabby hands. "Gimme."

Derek grins and hands Izzie off to her father, getting out of the chair and stretching, cracking his back. "That feels good," he groans, twisting in both directions to get the last of the kinks out-- _not_ to show off, he growls at the little voice in the back of his head. "Mind if I grab a drink before I head out?"

Stiles drags his gaze away from the sliver of skin exposed by Derek's shirt riding up, his cheeks flushing. "You're leaving?" he asks, and wow, his filter sucks even worse than normal when he's just woken up. "Duh. Of course you are. Uh, yeah, get whatever you want. You want some breakfast?" Goddamn it, why can't he just shut up and let Derek go?

Derek tilts his head, wondering what's gotten into Stiles. "Uh, yeah. That'd be nice," he says finally. "Want me to help?"

"If you're desperate," Stiles laughs, getting up and leading the way downstairs. "What do you feel like?"

"Anything with protein in it. Got any eggs and sausages?" Derek asks as he follows Stiles downstairs, pulling a face at Izzie when the pup looks at him over Stiles's shoulder; Izzie promptly squeals and giggles in delight, prompting a chuckle from Derek.

"What are you up to?" Stiles asks, grinning. "Uh, yeah, I think so. If my dad hasn't eaten them while I wasn't looking. He's been taking advantage of my new distraction a lot lately." Once in the kitchen, he settles Izzie in the high chair the sheriff paid for on her second day as a Stilinski and crosses over to the fridge. He emerges with a pack of sausages after a few moments; the eggs are already on the counter. "Need anything else?"

"Toast?" Derek suggests. "And apple juice, if you've got it." The Alpha settles into a chair next to Izzie, occupying her by shifting different parts of his face, growling occasionally, to which Izzie responds with little growls of her own. "Have you seen her eyes change, yet?" Derek asks, getting up to grab some formula when Izzie starts fussing more than giggling.

Stiles turns away from the sausages he's poking around a frying pan to grin at Izzie. "No, not yet," he tells Derek. "Why, does she do it for you? I guessed it was a wolf thing."

"I haven't seen her do it yet, either. My guess is either she's still too young, or she's a late bloomer-- the first one usually occurs around four to six months," Derek explains as he waits for the formula to heat before testing it to make sure it isn't too hot. "That was Cora-- her eyes didn't change until she was almost a year old. Laura, of course, was an early bird; hers was when she was four months, almost to the day."

"What about you?" Stiles asks. He wonders if it's painful for Derek to talk about his family, to reminisce about his childhood like this, but he isn't going to ask. If Derek wants to keep bringing them up, he can. It might even be therapeutic for him, and Stiles kind of hopes it is. The guy's been carrying all that pain around for long enough.

Derek huffs a laugh as he moves back to sit next to Izzie to begin feeding her. "Completely average," Derek answers, smiling softly at Izzie. "Mine first changed when I was five months old. Apparently Laura had been teasing me with something, and when I growled, my eyes flashed." Derek chuckles, but it's a bit sad. "First and last time I ever managed to truly startle Laura."

Stiles senses the change in atmosphere and does his best to lighten the mood again. "Well, there had to be _someone_ who refused to be scared of you," he teases, "for the sake of balance. But if it makes you feel any better, you've startled me lots of times. Like, even when you've not been trying to freak me out. You're very scary."

Derek grins at Stiles, appreciating the effort. "Right," he says, rolling his eyes before returning his attention to Izzie, the smile still hovering around the corners of his mouth. "That's why you've only smelt scared around me until the day you named me 'Miguel' and used me to manipulate Danny."

Stiles groans. "Are you ever going to let that go?" he demands, amused. "I think you almost breaking my nose should be enough punishment, thank you. Besides, nobody really lost that day. You got the info you needed, a horny teenager got to ogle a hot guy..." He isn't going to disclose which horny teenager he's talking about, though. "It was a win-win situation."

Derek rolls his eyes. "And you got the info you needed," he finishes, wiping a smear of formula from the corner of Izzie's mouth. "I think Cora would've liked you. Laura wouldn't have; you're too similar."

Stiles blinks. This is news to him. He chooses not to respond, instead busying himself with getting the food out of the pans and onto plates. They're out of apple juice, so he pours two glasses of orange juice and delivers everything to the table. "Thanks for feeding her," he says as he sits down, reaching out to touch Izzie's cheek. "You're definitely beating Scott _and_ Isaac to the favourite uncle post from where I'm sitting."

Derek grins. "No problem. And I'm her Alpha; I'm supposed to be her favorite," he says teasingly, lightly ruffling Izzie's hair affectionately as she spits the bottle out, done eating. Derek quickly cleans the bottle before sitting back down at the table and digging in to his own food. He tries to ignore the happy little part of him that's smugly pointing out how easily he and Stiles work together with a pup, to minimal success.

Stiles hums thoughtfully around the food in his mouth, absentmindedly catching one of the fists Izzie sends swinging his way and trapping it between thumb and forefinger. She finds it hilarious. "Is that disrespectful, for her to call you Uncle Derek?" he asks once he's swallowed. "Should she call you something else?"

Derek finishes his mouthful before answering. "Not really. We never called my mom anything other than 'Mom' or whatever title applied to her, and she was our Alpha."

Stiles grins. "Well then, you're officially an uncle."

***

The next few months bring the entire pack closer together, but none more so than Stiles and Derek. It's a blessing and a curse; blessing, because Derek gets to know Stiles better than he ever has before, and a curse, because the more Derek knows about Stiles, the closer he gets to crossing into the 'in love' territory.

Three months after Izzie joins the Stilinski family and Hale pack, her eyes change for the first time. Stiles has brought Izzie over to Derek's loft, and they are taking turns occupying her. Derek's the first to see the small flash of gold, barely there, and he calls Stiles over excitedly. "Stiles, c'mere! I think Izzie's eyes just changed!"

"What?" Stiles is just coming back from the bathroom, and he races over to grin at his daughter over Derek's shoulder, his hands braced on the back of the sofa. "Do it again, Izzie! Do it for Daddy!"

"Here," Derek says, grabbing Izzie's fists in his hands and growling as he pretends to chomp on her fingers. With a small snarl, Izzie yanks her fingers back, her eyes flashing gold possessively. It's not very long, barely there, but it's there nonetheless. "See?" Derek knows his grin is reaching idiotic sizes as he looks back at Stiles, but he can't bring himself to care; it feels almost like seeing his own daughter grow, and Derek knows that's a dangerous way to think, but he can't help himself.

Stiles laughs, delighted. "Oh my God, my clever little werewolf!" he cries, hurrying round the sofa to take Izzie from Derek and lift her into the air. "How dare Uncle Derek try to eat your fingers; you tell him! Daddy is so proud, baby girl."

Derek's grin turns into a tender smile as he watches Stiles cuddle Izzie close, the pup eagerly returning the the affection, scenting her father happily. Derek chuckles softly. "I guess this means she's around five months old," he ventures finally.

"Yeah," Stiles says slowly, looking over at Derek. "It kills me that I don't know her birthday."

Derek's expression softens. "Yeah; it bothers all of us," he murmurs, reaching out to stroke his knuckles down Izzie's cheek. "But I don't think there's really a way for us to tell, not with a pup."

Stiles snorts. "Is there a way to tell with a human?" he asks, sitting down beside Derek so that Izzie can rest between them. "I guess we'll just celebrate on the day Mira dropped her off."

Derek nods. "Yeah, that seems as good as any other day," he agrees, playing with Izzie's curls, chuckling when she bats his hand away and climbs into her daddy's lap. "You're most definitely her favorite."

"You come a close second, though," Stiles tells him, hauling Izzie in for snuggles and a kiss. "She adores you, man. Thinks you hung the frickin' moon."

Derek smiles. "Thanks," he murmurs, scooting closer to the pair.

"Of course, she's not the only one," Stiles adds, keeping his focus on Izzie. She's got her fists in his shirt and she's blowing a spit bubble, which should be gross but is somehow adorable. "You're quite popular around here these days, Mr. Hale."

Derek looks up in surprise. "What do you mean?" he asks, simultaneously cautioning himself to not get his hopes up.

Stiles shrugs. "Well, the Betas think you're pretty great," he answers carefully. "My dad's starting to warm up to you, thanks to all the time you spend with Izzie. And I..." He sneaks a glance at Derek out of the corner of his eye. "I don't exactly hate you, either."

Derek's fairly certain his heart does something dramatic at that admission, but he's careful to hide it behind a normal smile. "Well, good," he says after a moment, still smiling. "At least I don't have to worry about losing any pack."

"Not in the slightest," Stiles agrees. "I know you got kinda thrown in at the deep end with the whole Alpha thing, but you've come so far since then. You're good for them."

Derek's smile turns genuine, and he lays a hand on Stiles's shoulder. "Just them?" he asks, teasingly. "You're saying I'm not good for you?"

Stiles rolls his eyes and playfully shoves at Derek, which seems to remind Izzie that he's still there. She coos and makes grabby hands for the Alpha, and Stiles hands her over without a second thought. "You're kidding me, right? The amount of times I've nearly died because of the shit you've got me into? You're definitely not good for me."

"You seem to forget all the times I or my pack has saved your life," Derek counters, steadying Izzie in his lap as she begins playing some sort of improvised patty-cake with his hands. Derek and Stiles are sitting close enough together that Derek can practically feel the body heat radiating from Stiles. He tries to ignore it, focusing instead on the impatient little girl in his lap. "I don't know the rules," he chuckles, taking in her disgruntled expression as she emphatically moves his hand an inch lower with her own. "So don't get mad with me."

Stiles laughs and rests his head on Derek's shoulder, bringing himself into Izzie's view. "Are you being grumpy with Uncle Derek?" he teases her. "I will let him eat your fingers next time." They both fall quiet while Izzie continues to play, now evidently fascinated by Derek's fingers, and Stiles slowly becomes aware of how close they are. It feels intimate, and alarm bells should be going off because Scott said Derek could fall in love with him so Stiles should keep his distance, but he doesn't want to. He likes sitting here, with Izzie cradled safely between them, her Daddy and her Alpha. Izzie likes it, too. Stiles swallows, and turns his head so that he can peer up at Derek with wide eyes. "I appreciate it, y'know," he murmurs. "All the times you've saved me. Especially now. I wouldn't have Izzie without you. So, I guess you are good for me."

Derek turns to look at Stiles, and he swallows with a dry click in his throat. They're so close, all it would take is another inch--

"Where's my favorite girl?"

Derek jumps back from Stiles, grabbing Izzie as the pup wobbles. "Jesus, Isaac, knock!" he snaps, but it's more from embarrassment than anything else.

Isaac looks between the two, and flushes. "Sorry," he mumbles, but Izzie's apparently got some of her father's ADHD, because now she's making impatient grabby hands for Isaac, babbling some nonsense only she can understand.

Grateful for the excuse, Derek stands up and hands Izzie to Isaac. "I'll be right back," he says, heading for the bathroom. Once he's inside and has locked the door, Derek braces himself against the sink with one hand while he rubs his eyes with the other. "Get a grip," he mutters angrily. "Stiles _isn't. Interested._ " Derek knows that thought hurts, but he realizes that it's never hurt quite like this.

***

Isaac watches Derek go, balancing Izzie on one hip. "I'm sorry," he offers, turning to Stiles. "I'm not sure what I interrupted..."It isn't exactly a secret that Derek's as good as in love with Stiles, but no one really has a clue as to how Stiles feels about the whole situation.

"Neither am I," Stiles admits, frustrated. He'd thought for a moment there that Derek was going to kiss him, and he'd _wanted_ him to, but now Derek's gone and Stiles doesn't really understand why. "Whatever." He shrugs and smiles up at Isaac, who has his hands full with an excited Izzie and doesn't need to worry about what's going on between Derek and Stiles. "I think she's missed you."

Isaac smiles. "I've missed her, too," he admits, making a face at Izzie, who laughs and claps her hands together. "So, why were you and Derek sitting so close?"

"We were talking to Izzie," Stiles answers blithely. "Didn't want to make her divide her attention." It seems like a simple enough answer, and it isn't even a lie, but Stiles wonders if Isaac can hear in the beat of his heart just how much bullshit it is anyway. He wonders if Derek can.

***

Derek's careful to avoid getting too close to Stiles for the rest of the day, and he knows that Stiles definitely notices, even if Isaac doesn't. After what happened this morning, Derek doesn't want to risk a repeat, purely for selfish reasons; he's not sure if he could stop himself if it happens again, or if he would have been able to this morning, had Isaac not burst in. He also doesn't want to have to deal with the fallout if it turns out that he's right, and Stiles really isn't interested in him. The thought stings like a bitch, but Derek's used to it by now, or he should be. Stiles has given him no indication that he wants more than what they have now-- a friendship and semi-partnership with Izzie. The same as Stiles has with the rest of the pack.

After Isaac finally goes home, Derek flops down on the couch and grabs the remote, grateful that Lydia, Allison, Erica, and Boyd had all bullied him into buying some _actual_ furniture and other stuff, since he was staying in the loft indefinitely. He likes the open space of the first floor; it's good for training. The second has all of the amenities necessary for living.

Derek flicks through the channels, hunting for something good to watch, and finally settles on _Mythbusters_ ; he's in the mood for some explosions. "You staying for dinner?" he asks Stiles casually; the teenager's playing with his daughter on the floor, pretending to 'hunt' Izzie as the pup tries to evade his tickling fingers.

Stiles looks up, surprised. It's not like Derek's been ignoring him all day, but things have definitely been quiet since Isaac left. "Umm, if you want me to?" he says, though it sounds like a question. "I mean, my dad's not gonna be home 'til late, so it was just gonna be me and Izzie. Which isn't a problem, if you'd rather us not stay."

"I can order pizza, and you always keep some things for Izzie here, anyway," Derek says, as if whether or not Stiles stays isn't that big of a deal to him; it is, but Derek's not about to let onto that. He's still not sure whether or not he's grateful to Scott for warning Stiles about Derek's potential feelings. On the one hand, he doesn't have to hide _everything_ from Stiles, but on the other, it could also lead to really embarrassing moments, if Derek doesn't keep things under wraps.

Stiles doesn't want to make the decision when Derek seems so uninterested either way, so he pulls Izzie onto his lap and smiles down at her. "What do you think? Should we impose on Uncle Derek's hospitality for just a little longer?" Izzie squeals and claps, and Stiles has his answer.

Derek smiles and gets up to hunt down his cell phone-- he never remembers to just leave it in his pocket-- to order the pizza. "Anything specific you want?"

"Nah," Stiles shrugs. "Whatever you want. I'm not fussy."

Derek lets out a triumphant noise as he finally locates his phone under the cushion of the armchair. He's not sure how it ended up there; he hasn't sat in the armchair all day. Maybe he set it on the arm and it got knocked off. He orders two large pepperoni pizzas, one with extra sausage. "Should be here in about twenty minutes."

Izzie's bottom lip has just started to wobble, and not for the first time Stiles marvels at how quickly her moods can change. He hugs her close and stands up. "I'm gonna make a bottle now, then, and put her down for a nap. No one wants to deal with a fussy baby while they're trying to eat pizza."

Derek nods, watching Stiles enter the kitchen and start making the bottle one-handed. Derek grins. "Told you you'd get to that point," he chuckles. "Mom used to swear she'd had so many kids she could do it blindfolded."

Stiles laughs, testing the heat of the milk on his wrist before giving Izzie the bottle. "I don't think I'll ever be quite that good, but I'll admit that I'm getting better. At least, the little one isn't criticising my technique."

"That's always a plus," Derek admits, grinning. "You're doing a good job with her."

"Thank you," Stiles says, his expression soft as he looks over at Derek. "I'm trying my best, but I don't really know what I'm doing, so... That means a lot."

Derek offers Stiles a supportive smile, moving to the fridge to get drinks. "I think you left a onesie here last time; should be in the bathroom, with the towels."

"That's great, thanks." Stiles carries Izzie from the room, and wonders what the hell he thinks he's doing.

By the time Stiles comes back out, the pizza has arrived, and Derek's considering some of the movies on Pay Per View, debating whether or not it'd be worth it to order one. "What do you think?" he asks Stiles. " _Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2_ , or _Ender's Game_?"

"Is that even a question?" Stiles asks, setting a baby monitor down on the coffee table before grabbing a slice of pizza and joining Derek on the couch. " _Meatballs_ , every time. I put her down in your room, I hope that's okay."

"Yeah, it's fine," Derek assures Stiles, ordering the movie and sitting down next to Stiles with his own slice. "She'll probably sleep all the way through the movie."

Stiles nods in agreement. "We'll clear out after the movie, let you have some space," he promises. "I think she's had a nice day, though. We both have."

"Good," Derek says, and he means it. "You're always welcome here."

Stiles gives Derek a bright smile, takes a huge bite of pizza, and settles in to watch the movie.

***

After nearly kissing Stiles once, Derek redoubles his efforts to keep things between them purely platonic, but he's failing miserably, on his end at least. He has no choice but to acknowledge the fact that he's fallen for Stiles, and Stiles doesn't return the feeling.

At least Derek manages to avoid any more near-kiss situations until the morning after the full moon. Like the last one, Derek goes to Stiles's house after the rest of the pack has collapsed back at the loft, and takes over caring for Izzie as Stiles catches up on his sleep.

When Stiles begins to wake, Izzie has just started to fuss for her morning bottle. "Hey," Derek murmurs, leaning a bit closer to Stiles. "I'm gonna go down and feed her; you don't have to get up yet."

Stiles doesn't remember what he was dreaming about, but it was a good one and he can still feel the contentment all the way down to his toes. He already has a smile on his lips when he opens his eyes, and Derek is right there and he's so beautiful and it's really easy to just roll towards him, reach up and slide a hand into his hair. "Mmmkay," he hums, voice thick with sleep. "Jus'... C'mere."

The only reason, Derek will tell himself later, that he follows Stiles's request is because of his instincts-- he's already so close to the boy he loves, the pup that feels like _theirs_ in his arms, how does he stand a chance against his instincts, especially the morning after the full moon? So Derek leans down, close enough to brush his nose against Stiles's, a half-smile on his lips.  "Morning," he murmurs.

"Morning," Stiles whispers back, his grin lazy and free, and then he's sliding his lips over Derek's and it feels _perfect_.

Derek sinks into the kiss for a moment, and it's everything he ever dared to hope it would be and more-- or at least, it is until he realizes what he's doing. Once he does, he feels like someone dumped a bucket of ice water over his head. He pulls away quickly, getting to his feet. "Bottle, Izzie, impatient," he explains hurriedly, flustered. Without looking back to see whatever expression Stiles may be sporting, Derek runs downstairs, almost completely skipping the steps in his hurry to get away from the teenager still lying in bed upstairs.

 _What the hell were you thinking?_ Derek scolds himself fiercely as he makes up Izzie's bottle. _You weren't,_ he thinks, sighing to himself, regret and anxiety already making his heart clench. He's probably just screwed everything to Hell and back with him and Stiles.

For a long moment Stiles just lies there, blinking stupidly at the spot Derek just vacated. It was a good kiss, wasn't it? Obviously not very well received. But Scott said that Derek has feelings for him, and Stiles... God, Stiles has so many feelings, and they're only just starting to make sense, so why did Derek pull away?

When he stumbles into the kitchen a few minutes later, he's barely awake and feeling wretched. Derek won't look at him. "Hey," he mumbles, fidgeting with the hem of the shirt he wore to sleep in. "I-- I'm sorry, Derek. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or..." Or what? Stiles trails off, helpless. He has no idea what the kiss might have made Derek feel, to send him running from the room like that.

Derek sighs. "It's okay," he murmurs, keeping his focus on Izzie. "You were half-asleep."

"It's not okay," Stiles pushes, because that's what he does. "You're clearly mad or upset or _something_ , I mean who fucking knows with you? Could you please look at me?"

Derek does, meeting Stiles's gaze evenly. "What do you want me to say? It was a good kiss? It was. Should it have happened? Probably not. You know how I feel about you, Stiles. Problem is, I have no clue how you feel about me, whether you love me back or if this is just something physical to you." The thought hurts, almost as bad as electricity being run through his body, but Derek doesn't let it show. Izzie still picks up on it, though, and stills in Derek's arms. She doesn't start crying, but she's staring at Derek with wide, worried eyes.

Stiles notices, and Izzie tells him all he needs to know about how Derek's feeling. He sighs. "I didn't know how you feel about me, actually, until just now," he points out, and it's true. Whatever Scott told him, he couldn't have known for sure. But apparently Derek loves him, and that's... incredible. "Look, I wasn't exactly in full control of my actions when I kissed you, but maybe that's a good thing. It felt right, didn't it? And Izzie-- Izzie clearly loves you."

Derek laughs, just once, and it's dry and humorless. "I love her, too," he admits. "But I can't-- I can't do this, if all it's going to be is an... an _experiment_ to you. I can be her Alpha, and your friend and Alpha-- that's what I've been doing for the past year. But I can't be someone you hook up with just because it feels right, and because your kid loves me." He could give it a try, he knows, but in the end, he guesses that when it comes to this, he's a coward. He won't commit unless Stiles knows for certain that he's all in.

"That's not what I'm saying," Stiles argues, frustrated. "I don't want to hook up with you, I want to _be_ with you. And not because of Izzie. Because of how you make me feel."

"'How I make you feel'?" Derek echoes. "How do I make you feel, Stiles? I'm not asking for you to be in love with me, but-- I need to know that you'd be all in. I need to know that you're going to give it your best effort."

Stiles sighs. How does Derek make him feel? The million dollar question. "You make me feel safe," he answers, stepping closer. "You make me feel like I'm worth something. Like I'm a good father and a good person. You make me _happy_ , Derek. You make me want to try. Does that answer your question?"

Derek lifts his gaze from where it's dropped to the floor, searching Stiles's face intently. Part of him is telling him this can't be real, it can't be this easy-- but the rest of him is asking why can't it be that easy? Why can't Derek have fallen for someone who'll truly love him back? After a moment, Derek makes up his mind. "It does," he says quietly, and then offers Stiles a hesitant smile. Stiles smiles back, and closes the space between them to take Derek's lips in another kiss. It's just as soft as the first, but it's sure, and Stiles knows that he's made the right decision.

***

Scott studies Stiles. "You sure you know what you're doing?" he asks. Stiles has just told him what had happened between him and Derek, how they are going to try being in a relationship. "Derek's instincts-- "

"Are not an issue," Stiles interrupts him, annoyed. "I am not taking advantage of Derek." He bites his lip, and adds in a softer tone, "Scott, I think I'm in love with him. I really think I'm in love with him. It just isn't fair to tell him until I know for sure."

Scott nods. "Okay. He makes you happy, doesn't he?"

"He does," Stiles murmurs. "He makes me really happy, Scott."

Scott smiles. "Then that's all that matters. Honestly, I should be thanking you; you just won me the bet on how long it would take something to happen between you two."

Stiles' face falls. "You were betting on us?" he demands, and smacks Scott as hard as he can in the arm. It hurts him more than it hurts Scott, but damn, it's worth it. "You jackass! Oh my God, I hate you."

Scott just snickers. "No you don't," he says confidently. "C'mon, we got to get to the loft for the pack meeting, Derek's expecting us."

Stiles sighs and glances over at Izzie, who is sleeping soundly in her carrier/car seat. He really doesn't want to wake her up.

***

Izzie is fussy on the drive to the loft, clearly pissed about having her nap disturbed, but as soon as they walk in and she catches the scent of her pack, she perks up. Stiles rolls his eyes. "Yeah, you'd better smile; everyone else is here to see you being moody now." He can't talk, though, because all he has to do is lay eyes on Derek and he's grinning from ear to ear. Izzie shrieks and reaches for him though, so Stiles delays greeting his boyfriend-- shit, his _boyfriend_ \-- in favour of handing her over. Isaac, who is already halfway out of his seat, sits back down with an embarrassed huff, and Stiles laughs. "Sorry, the favourite gets priority snuggles."

Derek chuckles, taking a moment to blow a raspberry in Izzie's stomach before he replies. "No, you're her favorite human. I'm just her favorite wolf." Izzie demands his attention by poking him with a claw, and he grabs her hand gently, but speaks sternly. "No claws," he enunciates clearly, squeezing her fist. Izzie sulks for a moment before getting distracted by an invisible speck of lint on Derek's shirt.

"Claws?" Stiles asks excitedly, and suddenly the whole pack is crowding around them, cooing and praising Izzie. "We have claws now? This is amazing!"

"They're not really claws," Derek elaborates. "More like really sharp fingernails."

Even so, Stiles is delighted, and he presses a smacking kiss to Izzie's cheek. "That's good enough for me!"

***

Derek's been on cloud nine for the past month and a half. He has his pack, his boyfriend-- and that still never fails to make him smile when he thinks about it-- and Izzie, who feels like his own daughter.

But the thing is, Derek can't shake the feeling that something's going to happen, that he's going to lose this, everything that he's gained. So he doesn't get too comfortable, reminds himself at least once a day that Izzie isn't really his daughter, and that Stiles hasn't said anything about wanting Derek to be her other father. It hurts, but the truth always does.

Derek's entertaining Izzie in Stiles's living room while Stiles finishes up some research-- he'd become obsessed with the history of some myth or other-- and today's method of entertainment is hide-and-seek, werewolf-style. Which means it's more like stalk-and-pounce. "Where are you?" Derek growls playfully, crawling on his hands and knees. He knows full well that Izzie's under the endtable in the corner of the living room, but where's the fun in just going straight to her? "You can't hide from me forever; Uncle Derek's the best stalker in the pack!" Which is bull, but again, it's fun to pretend.

Stiles hesitates in the doorway, something unpleasant twisting in his chest. "'Uncle Derek'?" he repeats softly, frowning. "Is that how you want her to see you?"

Derek jumps, looking up so fast that his neck cracks painfully. He hadn't heard Stiles come down the stairs. "Um, no, but-- I'm not her father, so..." Derek's voice trails off as he looks at Stiles uncertainly, not knowing what's going on behind the expression his boyfriend's currently sporting.

"So you're going with Uncle Derek?" Stiles asks. He walks into the room and kneels down beside his boyfriend, tentatively sliding a hand over one of the Alpha's. "How would you feel about being Daddy Derek, instead?"

Derek looks at Stiles in surprise, ruthlessly tempering the hope that flared with Stiles's words. "You want that?" he asks hesitantly.

Stiles nods, his lip between his teeth. "I want us to be a family," he admits. "Derek, I-- I love you."

Derek stares at Stiles for another moment, searching the other man's heartbeat and eyes for a lie-- but there's none. No lie, no uncertainty; only anxiety, worry over how Derek's going to respond, most likely. "I love you, too," he says softly, leaning in to kiss Stiles. And maybe it's just his imagination, but this kiss feels... _more_ than any one they've shared before. "I want us to be a family."

Stiles grins and kisses Derek again, and yep, kisses are definitely better once 'I love you's have been exchanged. "Then stop with the Uncle Derek bullshit," he laughs. "And stay for dinner; we should probably tell my dad."

Derek laughs along with Stiles, and nods. "You tell him," he says, grinning. "I've got a pup to hunt."

Stiles affects a wounded expression and gives Derek a hard shove. "Oh, I get it! You get to play with my-- _our_ kid while I face certain death!" He rolls his eyes, fighting a smile. "Some boyfriend you are."

"Nah, if your dad kills you, he'll kill both of us, for taking so long," Derek chuckles, grabbing Stiles and pulling him in for a quick nuzzle before he returns his attention to 'hunting' for Izzie, who's whining impatiently, completely unconcerned about the moment her fathers just shared.

***

The sheriff doesn't kill either Stiles or Derek, though he does scold them for not sorting the whole 'Daddy Derek' issue out when they started their relationship.

After that first exchange of 'I love you's, Derek finds it easier and easier to say the words, though his joy at hearing Stiles repeat them back to him never diminishes. Derek also spends as much time with Izzie as he can, which means when Stiles and Izzie aren't at the loft, Derek-- more often than not-- is at the Stilinski house.

It's on one such day that the sheriff comes home smelling anxious and upset, though one would never guess that all that emotion was rolling beneath the calm surface. "Where's Stiles?"

"On his way home; he said he'd bring dinner," Derek answers, picking Izzie up and balancing her on his hip. "Sheriff, what's wrong?" Even Izzie's started to pick up on her grandfather's worry, and she's fussing in Derek's hold.

"I'll tell you when Stiles gets home; don't want to have to repeat myself," the sheriff answers, chucking Izzie under the chin and smiling at her; it doesn't help much.

Stiles gets in about ten minutes later, and he doesn't need to be a werewolf to sense the tension in the house. He finds everyone in the kitchen and sets the food down on the table before moving to Derek's side. They kiss, and Stiles takes a disgruntled Izzie from him. "What's going on?" he asks, absently stroking Izzie's hair. The look on his dad's face is decidedly unnerving.

The sheriff doesn't waste any time. "We got a man down at the station today, asking after his missing girlfriend. Seems she was almost nine months pregnant when she went missing several months ago." He takes a deep breath before continuing. "The man, Trevor McClane, said her name was Miranda Kendrick."

Stiles frowns, confused. "I don't get it," he admits. "Why does some chick doing a runner on her boyfriend affect us?"

"Because he said she often went by the nickname 'Mira.'"

Derek stills. There are all sorts of situations that could stem from this. "Does he have any clue where she might be?"

"He says he knows Miranda was spotted in Beacon Hills, apparently both before and after she gave birth. He wants to find both her and the child."

Stiles feels like the floor has just dropped out from under him; he stumbles back slightly and leans heavily against Derek. "No," he whispers, staring at the sheriff. "Izzie's mine. She's my baby. He can't take my baby."

Derek catches Stiles, rubbing his arm soothingly. "He won't," he promises. "He can't."

The sheriff clears his throat uncomfortably. "If he has proof of his fatherhood, he can."

" _No_ ," Stiles says again, and there are tears in his eyes now. "I'm her father. _Me_. Dad, please don't let him take her away."

The sheriff reaches out to comfort Stiles. "I'm gonna do everything I can to keep him from Izzie, Stiles. I want to keep her just as much as you do, but I can't break the law."

"What about the note?" Derek asks suddenly. "The note Mira left. Would that be enough?"

The sheriff sighs. "Do you still have it?"

"Yeah," Stiles answers, looking to Derek. "It's upstairs, in my desk. But will that be enough? If he asks for, I don't know, DNA or something, can we say no?"

"If he just asks us, then we can deny him. However, if he brings the matter to court... I don't know that the note would be enough to allow you to keep Izzie. The way McClane was talking at the station, he made it sound like Miranda was not of sound mind when she disappeared-- he claims she ran."

Stiles lets out a shaky breath. "This isn't happening," he decides. "This can't be happening. Dad, keep him away from us, please. If he finds Izzie, I'm gonna lose her, and I can't, I can't--"

"I'm going to do the best I can," Stilinski promises as Derek holds his son and granddaughter. "I will do everything I possibly can to keep him from you."

Derek nods, offering the sheriff a grateful smile. "Thank you; we can't ask any more than that." Derek tugs Stiles closer to him, holding him tightly. "We'll find a way," he promises in a murmur. "We're not giving Izzie up."

Sensing her fathers' distress, Izzie starts to cry, hiding her face in Stiles' neck. "I love her so much," Stiles whispers to Derek as he tries to comfort her. "I can't lose her."

"I can't either," Derek murmurs, vaguely aware of the elder Stilinski leaving the three of them alone. "And we won't. If we have to, we'll take drastic measures. But I can't imagine that Mira would leave her pup in the care of another pack without good reason. We're not going to let whatever drove Mira away to take Izzie away, okay? Izzie is _ours_."

“You're right," Stiles says softly, gripping Derek's shoulder and nuzzling his cheek against Izzie's soft hair. "She's ours."

***

The pack is on high alert for the next week, but it is Derek and Stiles who have the first encounter with McClane. The couple had taken Izzie with them to the grocery store to pick up groceries for Derek's loft; the pack had been eating him almost out of house and home.

"Well, well," a voice speaks from behind them; Derek whips around, hand going for Izzie instinctually, relieved to find her still in the toddler chair of the shopping cart. "She looks just like her mother."

Stiles isn't ready for this, he's nowhere near ready for this, and Goddamn, how stupid were they to come out like this when they're supposed to be laying low? Fighting down the panic, he steps up beside Derek, effectively blocking Izzie from view. "I'm sorry, do we know you?" he asks coldly, and prays that this guy is human. The only thing giving away his fear is his heartbeat.

The man who'd spoken smirks in mock-apology. "How rude of me," he says smoothly. "I'm Trevor McClane-- though I believe you knew my girlfriend, Miranda?"

"What do you want?" Derek says, striving to keep his voice even.

"I want her back. But if I can't find her, I'd be happy to find _our_ child." Trevor's eyes flick to where Izzie's peeping cautiously around her dads; she whimpers when she catches sight of him and retreats.

Stiles glares. "Well, good luck on your search and everything, but this child is _ours_ , so you can't have her."

"You sure about that?" Trevor counters, but he doesn't say anything else when Derek growls. "I'm sure I'll see you around."

Derek watches him go, and then turns to Stiles once he's sure the man's out of earshot. "He's human," he says under his breath, picking up Izzie and cuddling her, to reassure himself as well as her that they're okay.

Stiles wraps his arms around them both and tries to calm down. "Doesn't make him any less dangerous," he whispers into Derek's shoulder. "What the fuck are we going to do now?"

"We stay with the pack, as much as possible," Derek murmurs, holding Stiles. "We'll always make sure Izzie's got at least two members with her. I don't trust him. He seemed like he knew more than he was letting on."

"Should we try to talk to him?" Stiles asks tentatively. "Without Izzie there. See what he knows, try to get a feel for how far he's willing to go?"

Derek considers the suggestion for a few moments. "It's worth a try," he decides eventually.

Stiles nods and pulls away, giving Izzie a weak smile when she peers curiously at him, her little cheeks flushed. "Come on. I kinda want to go home now."

Derek nods in agreement, and hustles them through the checkout and out to the car. On the way back to the loft, Derek calls the sheriff. "We just ran into McClane in the grocery store; meet us at the loft." After the sheriff agrees, Derek calls the rest of the pack and tells them to meet him, Stiles, and Izzie at the loft.

They don't start talking until everyone's there, and even then Stiles is reluctant to open his mouth. It feels like as soon as he gives voice to what's going on, it'll be so much more real. Stiles doesn't know if he can handle that.

Isaac is the last to arrive and as soon as he sits down he holds his hands out for Izzie, a big smile on his face. For the first time ever, Stiles shies away from him, gathering Izzie closer and pressing his face into her hair. Isaac looks hurt, but Stiles only feels a little guilty.

"Okay," Jackson snaps after watching this display. "Anyone wanna tell us what the hell is going on?"

Derek offers Isaac an apologetic smile, before tucking Stiles in closer. "Trevor McClane caught up with us in the grocery store. He didn't threaten us, but he knew Izzie was Mira's daughter; she looks exactly like Mira. He made it clear he was after her, but he seemed... He seemed like he knew more than he was letting on."

"If we give him any opportunity, he'll take Izzie," Stiles continues gravely. "Which is why we need your help."

Erica frowns. "What can we do?" she asks, and Peter just chuckles.

"It's easy. We should kill him."

For once, Scott and Derek are in instant accord. "No!"

Derek continues, "If we kill him, that will only make things more suspicious. He's already brought police attention to the matter of Miranda's 'disappearance.'"

Boyd frowns. "That sounded like it had quotes."

"I don't think she's just disappeared," Derek admits. "I don’t believe Mira, a loyal wolf, would just leave her pup with another pack."

"So, in short," Stiles summarises, "McClane is a creepy bastard who may or may not have done something to frighten Mira into giving away her baby, and we need someone with superhuman strength to be with Izzie at all times in case he tries to take her." He sighs. "Obviously, that will be Derek most of the time, but we'd appreciate the extra support."

The whole pack chimes in with their support, and Derek smiles gratefully. "Thank you." He turns to the sheriff, addressing his next question to the older human. "We need to know more about McClane's past, where he comes from, everything. Maybe we can find something there that would give us a clue as to why Mira was scared enough to send her pup to another pack."

The sheriff nods. "Do you know the names of anyone else in her pack? I might be able to find out if this was a threat targeted at Mira specifically, or at the pack, or if there even is a threat."

Stiles shakes his head. "We didn't really talk about her pack... or anything, really," he admits sheepishly, his cheeks stained pink.

Erica, though, comes to his rescue. "Boyd and I were talking to one of the guys. I think their pack's kinda small, smaller than ours at least, so it shouldn't be difficult to track them down." She gives the sheriff the name of the guy they'd been speaking to, and also provides what she thinks is the name of someone he mentioned. "But I could be wrong about that," she adds, with a smirk for Boyd. "I wasn't really paying attention by then."

Boyd smirks with her, and Scott pretends to gag; Derek, however, thanks Erica. "The Alpha's a woman-- Ellen Hayes," he adds.

The sheriff scribbles everything down on a notepad. "I'll see what I can dig up," he promises. "In the meantime, I think it might be best if Stiles moves in with Derek-- That way, we won't have to worry so much about transporting Izzie back and forth."

Derek considers the suggestion for a moment. "Makes sense," he agrees. "I've also got a lot more protections here than you have at your place."

Stiles twists to look at Derek, ignoring Izzie when she sinks her fingers into his shirt and pulls, wanting his attention. "Are you sure?" he asks. "We won't get underfoot?"

Derek smiles at Stiles. "Of course not," he says reassuringly. "You're over here all the time anyway."

Stiles leans into Derek, smiling softly, but the moment is ruined when Izzie gives an impatient huff and sinks her claws into his chest. Stiles yelps and yanks her hand away. "Bad Izzie! We keep our claws to ourselves around the squishy human daddy!"

The rest of the pack, thankfully, figures that it's probably _not_ a good idea to encourage the impressionable werewolf pup by laughing at Stiles, and Derek makes a silent note to buy them all cookies or something later, after all of this has blown over. Except maybe Peter; he's openly smirking, and shrugs, unrepentant, when Derek glares at him.

***

Stiles moves in the next day, but it's almost a week before the sheriff has anything tangible to give them. Derek's not sure whether or not it's a good thing that no one's seen McClane in that week. Another pack meeting is called so the sheriff can  share what he's found out. "So, McClane is from Belvedere, in Marin County, same as everyone else in the pack; and Miranda's not the only one who's gone missing. The Alpha you mentioned, Ellen Hayes, quit her job and was moving, but there's no record of where she's moving _to_ , and none of her friends have heard from her in months. Same goes for almost everyone else who seemed to be close to both Ellen and Miranda; I had one of the deputies up there ask around, do a bit of digging. There was a group of men who showed up right around the time of those people's disappearances, and they vanished as well soon after."

"Hunters?" Isaac suggests.

"Seems likely," Derek agrees. "But why would they target Ellen's pack? It's always been peaceful, and there hasn't been a bitten member in generations."

"What if they're like--" Stiles cuts himself off before he can say 'Kate', and sends an apologetic look Allison's way; "--some of the Argents? Maybe they don't stick to the code or whatever. They just see a werewolf and kill a werewolf." He frowns, considering. "But then, why would they come in from out of town if the Hayes pack hadn't done anything to provoke it? How would they even know that the pack was there?"

Derek shrugs. "I'm not sure," he admits.

"I have a theory," the sheriff says, and waits until everyone looks at him. "You said McClane seemed like he knew more than he was letting on?" Derek nods. "What if he's the one who called the hunters there?"

Derek frowns thoughtfully. "Maybe. He was dating Miranda-- but that doesn't explain why he wants Izzie, if he found out she was a werewolf and freaked. Or how he would know who to call."

Stiles bites his lip. "If they were dating when Mira and I..." He trails off, and looks at Derek. "What if McClane found out she'd cheated?"

"I didn't smell anyone else on her," Derek says immediately. "And werewolves are very unlikely to cheat-- it's just not in our nature." Derek thinks on it some more before adding, "Izzie was already a little more than a month old, maybe two, when she was dropped off," he says slowly. "Werewolves have a shorter pregnancy-- eight months, instead of nine. It was almost a full year after the mixer that Izzie showed up."

Later, Stiles will be really glad that Izzie is sleeping peacefully in his and Derek's room instead of sitting on his lap, because he recoils from Derek so fast he actually falls off the couch. "She's not mine," he whimpers, staring up at the Alpha with a horrified gaze. "Is she? And you _knew_."

"She's yours in every way that counts," Derek says firmly, looking at Stiles meaningfully. "I knew, yes, but Mira chose _you_ to be Izzie's father-- that's all that matters."

"Oh my God," Stiles gasps, his eyes wild and his breath quickening. "Oh my God. He's gonna take her, McClane is going to take her away and there's nothing I can do because I'm not-- I'm not her dad and they're not gonna let me keep her, oh my God, Derek, he's gonna take my Izzie away."

" _Stiles!_ " Derek barks out, sharp and commanding, hoping to startle Stiles into silence. "He's not taking her-- we won't let her. Hell, I'd let Peter kill him before I'd let him take our daughter."

Stiles tries to let Derek's words comfort him, but he catches the hungry look on Peter's face and it's the final straw. He can't ask the pack to kill for him, least of all Peter-- who knows what he'll want when he decides to call in a favour of that magnitude? "I'm sorry, I can't--" is all Stiles gets out before he stands up and flees the room.

Derek follows Stiles, leaving a stunned silence behind him; he finds his boyfriend in Derek's bedroom, with Izzie. "Stiles?" he asks softly, stopping a few feet away.

"She's not mine," Stiles whispers, his gaze intent on Izzie's little face. She's so beautiful she takes his breath away, and he can't imagine how painful it would be to never watch her sleep again. "Is it bad that I don't care? I don't know anything about him; he could be a great guy, a great dad. But even if he can give her the whole world when I can only give her myself, I don't care. I don't want him anywhere near her. Is that selfish?"

"No," Derek answers, moving closer. "It's not. You love her-- even if McClane didn't send hunters after Mira's pack, he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would make a good father. You are, and you've proved it."

"I love her so much," Stiles chokes out, and only then does he realise that he's crying. "I can't lose her. I don't know if I'd survive it."

Derek moves forward, taking Stiles in his arms. "You won't," he promises. "We'll do everything and anything to keep Izzie away from him, and with us."

Stiles doesn't say anything; he just turns his face into Derek's chest and weeps.

***

Derek and Stiles decide to go ahead with their plan to meet McClane-- the sheriff's none too happy about it, but he agrees that they need information. They meet at the local diner; McClane beats them there. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"We want to talk to you," Stiles says as he slides into the booth, only relaxing a fraction when Derek sits down next to him. "You've been sniffing around our family a lot lately, and it's making us uncomfortable. What's it going to take for you to go away?"

McClane's face changes in an instant; instead of open, welcoming even, it becomes closed off and hard. "I want to finish what I started," he hisses. "I want to make sure none of those _murderers_ remain."

"'Murderers'?" Derek echoes disbelievingly, glancing quickly at Stiles. "What do you mean?"

"Those _protectors_ who stood by and watched those monsters slaughter my family," McClane spits. "My parents, my brother, his wife, _everyone,_ killed by those ghouls, and those wolves just sat by and watched."

Stiles doesn't have a clue how to react to this information. Mira's pack let McClane's family _die_? That just doesn't seem right, but it probably isn't wise to provoke the guy. "I'm sorry about your family," he hedges after a moment of stunned silence. "No one deserves to go through something like that. But what does it have to do with us?"

"I want to finish what I started," McClane repeats. "And I started getting rid of that entire pack-- Miranda was the only one to escape, with her spawn. I made the mistake of trusting hunters to take out the whole pack, but I'm not going to repeat that mistake. I'm going to finish this myself. I already took care of Miranda, now I just need to finish off her little brat."

Derek has to restrain himself from growling and shoving Stiles behind him. The man's crazy, no doubt about it. "Izzie's innocent."

"She's a monster, same as her mother," McClane says, indifferent. "She still deserves to die."

Derek debates revealing who he is-- but McClane hasn't given any indication he knows that Derek's a werewolf, and if that keeps him even slightly less focused on getting rid of Derek, then Derek's not going to correct that assumption. "Because of her mother?" Derek asks, staring hard at McClane. "No. Leave Beacon Hills, or we'll turn you in."

McClane snorts. "Like the police would believe you."

Stiles is torn between feeling furious and terrified, but it doesn't really matter just now. His tongue works just as well in either case. "If you think we're going to let you have our daughter so that you can hurt her, you're insane," Stiles spits. "Even if you'd come in here pretending to be the doting dad, you'd have had a fight on your hands. Whatever Mira and the others did or didn't do, Izzie wasn't a part of that. She doesn't deserve to be punished for their crimes. Walk away."

"I always finish what I start," McClane growls, but before Derek can respond, the manager of the diner is there.

"Is there a problem?" he demands, folding his arms and glaring suspiciously at the three of them.

"No, sir," Derek replies smoothly. "Our friend here was just leaving." McClane glares at him, but leaves without another word.

After reassuring the manager, Derek sighs heavily. "Ghouls are dangerous, and hard to kill," he says quietly. "I wouldn't want to go up against one, even with the entire pack. They're crafty, quick, strong, and vicious. If there's more than one, they're even worse."

"So what happened wasn't Mira's pack's fault," Stiles surmises absently. He's gripping Derek's arm so tight his knuckles are white, but he doesn't notice. "Derek, he doesn't just want Izzie; he wants to _kill_ her."

Derek nods, easing Stiles's hand off of his arm so that he can hold it in his own. "We won't let him," he promises. "He'll never get her."

"We have to talk to my dad," Stiles croaks. "There must be something he can do."

***

"There's nothing I can do," the sheriff said sadly. "Unless McClane does something to explicitly prove he'd be a bad father, courts are going to be more likely to side with him. If you can't prove that he killed Miranda, and conspired to murder the rest of her pack, then we've got nothing. McClane, as far as the law is concerned at the moment, has done nothing worth taking away his child over."

"But she's _our child_!" Stiles protests, causing Izzie to whine and squirm in his lap. He cuddles her closer and lowers his voice. "We've been raising her for almost a year, doesn't that count for anything?"

"It might," the sheriff says, but Derek can tell by his voice that he isn't holding out much hope.

"We can't let him have her," he says decisively.

"If I may," Peter cuts in smoothly, "since you are so against the idea of killing him, then we must take Izzie out of the equation."

"What does that mean?" Stiles snaps, instantly defensive. "We're not giving her away, if that's what you're getting at."

"Of course not," Boyd soothes. "What Peter means is that you and Derek need to take Izzie somewhere safe."

"You mean run," Derek says flatly.

Boyd shrugs. "That's another way of putting it. But you can't give her to him, and as long as he knows where she is, he won't leave you alone."

Judging from the look on his face, Stiles doesn't think that's what Peter meant at all, but he can't deny that Boyd's idea is a good one. He takes Derek's hand. "It wouldn't be forever," he reasons tentatively. "Just long enough for him to give up, or go looking elsewhere. And she'd be safe. Isn't that what matters?"

Derek doesn't want to leave his pack-- but both Stiles and Boyd have a point. "All right," he growls. "We'll take her somewhere safe."

There are varying expressions on everyone's faces, but Derek's least reassured by the indescribable one on Peter's.

***

Once they manage to talk Scott around, he wants them to take off immediately in case McClane makes any dangerous moves, but that isn't an option. Going on the run with a small child just isn't safe, and besides, they need some time to prepare. There's no use in running if McClane can find them, so with the help of Danny and some long-distance Skype sessions with Lydia, they make it so that when they do leave, they'll be able to drop off the grid. The next step is to find a place to run to.

It takes them a week to find somewhere, and by then Stiles is frantic. McClane drops by only once in that time, and it's to say that he's been in contact with a lawyer. Per the sheriff's request, Stiles records their conversation on his phone, but McClane doesn't say anything incriminating, even when Stiles prompts him. He's up to something, and he's going to make his move any day now, so when Derek announces that he's found a house, Stiles is beyond relieved. It's not actually that far away, but that makes sense: McClane will expect them to run far, maybe even leave the country. Hiding in plain sight is always the best course of action.

"Do you have everything?" Erica asks as they prepare to leave the loft.

Stiles adjsuts Izzie's position on his hip. "Everything we can carry," he answers. They can't risk making it obvious that they're leaving; McClane has been watching them and if he notifies the police, the sheriff won't be able to do anything to help them. Running away with a child who is soon to be involved in a custody battle is never good. Stiles cuts his gaze to Derek. "You ready?"

Derek nods. "Everything's packed; we're ready to go." Their goodbyes are quick, out of necessity, and Peter approaches Derek last.

"You won't be gone long," the Beta says confidently.

"Don't do anything stupid, Peter," Derek warns, but he's pretty sure that Peter doesn't take that the way he means it.

"Only what's best for the pack," Peter promises before clapping Derek on the shoulder and sauntering off.

They considered taking separate cars, to make it even less obvious that they're leaving, but in the end neither father could stand the idea of being away from Izzie or each other with no way of knowing if something happened, so Stiles pulls the diaper bag-- stuffed with his own clothes as well as baby necessities-- onto his shoulder and heads out to the Camaro. Scott has promised to look after the jeep while they're gone. Izzie's fussy and upset while Stiles straps her into her car seat, sensing the worry radiating from everyone in her pack, and there's nothing Stiles can do to make it better other than scent her and give her a kiss. "I'm so sorry, baby girl," he tells her quietly as he tucks a blanket around her knees. "It'll be better soon, I promise."

They've chosen a house a few hours away from Beacon Hills, and the drive there is mostly quiet, broken only by one or the other of them reaching back to comfort Izzie when she grows too fussy, anxious both at being so far from her pack, and at the unease still coming off of her fathers in waves.

When they arrive, Derek unpacks the car while Stiles takes care of Izzie and starts following the instructions Lydia had given them to make them untraceable. When he's done, Derek finds Stiles on the couch, Izzie in his lap. "Hey," he murmurs, sitting down next to Stiles. "How you holding up?"

"I'm okay," Stiles answers quietly. He has Izzie surrounded by soft toys, one from each member of the pack; their scents seem to be calming her. "She's okay. We're just... tired, and scared."

Derek rubs Stiles's back soothingly. "I know. But this will, hopefully, not be too long."

Stiles sighs and leans into Derek. "How long is too long, though?" he asks. "You and Izzie are going to hate being away from the pack, and I'll hate not being able to see my dad, or Scott. I know we made the right decision," he adds hurriedly. "It just _sucks_."

"It does," Derek agrees. "But we'll have to put up with it until it's safe to go back."

Stiles smiles and tilts his face up until he can give Derek a soft kiss. "Thank you for doing this for us," he murmurs.

Derek smiles, returning the kiss just as softly. "Let's put Izzie to bed," he suggests, his voice low and heavy with meaning.

Stiles' eyes glint deviously. "Best idea I've heard all day." Izzie has been stressy since the moment she woke up, so she falls asleep almost as soon as Stiles puts her down in the nursery and tucks all of her new teddies around her. Stiles doesn't want to think about what'll happen when the pack's scents fade from the toys.

Both men kiss their daughter and stay in the room for a few minutes, just because, but then Stiles slips his fingers through one of Derek's belt loops and tugs him across the hall into their bedroom. They're kissing before they even get the door shut. Derek growls low in the back of his throat and manages to get Stiles down on the bed before he starts scrabbling at Stiles's shirt, kissing him until they're both breathless.

Derek's about to just say _fuck it_ and rip the damn thing off of Stiles when his phone rings in his pocket.

"Leave it," Stiles pants, already turned on out of his mind. He paws at Derek's shoulder, trying to get his attention back where he needs it, but it doesn't seem to be working. Stiles huffs, frustrated. " _Derek_. Whose ringtone is that?"

"Peter's," Derek answers, staring at the phone in his hand, debating. Finally, his lingering suspicion of his uncle wins out over his desire to just ignore the call and continue with his plans. He answers, and growls out, "What?"

"Problem solved," Peter replies cheerfully. "I expect to see you back here tomorrow." He hangs up before Derek can respond, leaving Derek to stare at his phone in disbelief.

The look on Derek's face is anything but sexy, and the fact that it was Peter who put it there effectively kills Stiles' boner. "You brought your creepy uncle into our bed; I will never forgive you for this," he says absently, even as he sits up and lays a hand on Derek's arm. "Hey. What did he want?"

"He said 'problem solved,' and he expects us back in Beacon Hills tomorrow," Derek answers, sitting back on his heels. "I don't know, but I think he might have killed McClane."

Stiles stares at him, his mind working on overdrive. It sounds like that might have caused them a lot more problems, rather than solved them, and he's suddenly itching to get back home, to talk to his dad and properly assess the situation. But they're both exhausted and Izzie has finally settled, and they might as well make use of this house at least once. Still, sex is definitely off the table now. "C'mere," Stiles sighs, knocking the phone out of Derek's hand and tugging him up towards the pillows. "We're not gonna think about it. We're gonna snuggle, and I won't take 'no' for an answer."

Derek nods. "Yeah, sounds good," he murmurs, following Stiles up the bed. "Christ, I told him not to do anything stupid."

"Shh," Stiles soothes, skimming his hand up Derek's arm until it settles on the side of his neck. "We don't know anything for certain yet. Just put it out of your mind. We can deal with it tomorrow."

Derek grumbles, but settles in closer to Stiles nonetheless. With Stiles's scent and touch, Derek eventually slips into sleep.

***

They get back to Beacon Hills a little before twelve and find the entire pack at the loft, including the sheriff. All three of them are already tired and grumpy, but this reception just worsens Stiles' mood, putting him on edge. He drops the diaper bag and switches Izzie to his other hip, hovering uncertainly in the doorway as he assesses the situation. His dad looks like he hasn't slept, and the Betas look equal parts anxious and apologetic, with one exception: Peter looks smug. Stiles sighs and bites the bullet. "What's going on?"

"Doubtless you all want to berate me for 'doing something stupid,'" Peter says snidely, looking at Derek.

"Damn right," Derek growls, dropping the bag he'd been carrying and stalking towards Peter, backing the Beta up until he's crowded against the opposite wall. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"That McClane was taking his revenge too far," Peter answers, exuding confidence, but Derek's known his uncle for _years_ , and he can just make out the slight anxiety that means Peter's worried Derek will still disapprove of his actions, even with his reasoning. "I killed everyone responsible for our family's deaths, yes, but I didn't kill Allison or Chris-- because they had _nothing_ to do with it. Izzie had nothing to do with McClane's family dying."

"So, just to be clear," Stiles says, stepping up beside Derek and ignoring the worried look Scott gives him. "What _exactly_ did you do?"

Peter glances at the Sheriff, who sighs. "Did you make it look like McClane just left town?" he asks, resigned. Peter nods.

"He got an anonymous tip that Miranda had been seen boarding a Greyhound for Las Vegas," he explains. "I intercepted him at the station, but made sure no one saw me lure him away or tear his throat out."

"And the body?" Derek demands; he's not willing to forgive Peter for this yet.

"Disposed of; I know a place where a... slightly-more-benign ghoul feeds off of dead bodies. I left him a gift, in exchange for him never entering our territory. Thought it was poetic."

"Poetic?" Stiles spits, and Izzie cries out. "You killed a man! _Again_!"

"Of course," Peter snorts. "You think I was going to let some crazy _human_ chase away our Alpha and his mate and child? Besides, as you pointed out, I've killed before. What's one more, this time for a good cause, not just revenge?"

Stiles deflates, his mouth hanging slightly open. "I-- I _really_ want to be mad at you," he stammers, glancing at Derek. "And I'm not going to thank you for murdering someone. But I think you just saved my family, so..."

"I'm not thanking you, either," Derek adds, but he backs away from Peter, still eyeing him warily. "But you did save us a lot of trouble."

The sheriff snorts. "Even if you didn't save the police any," he mutters.

Derek sees the way the tension bleeds from his uncle's shoulders, and he thinks maybe they made the right choice in not persecuting Peter for this, in not distrusting Peter any more than they do already; mistrust in a pack affects more than just the targeted wolf. "Seriously, though, next time I tell you not to do something stupid, don't do anything that could potentially get us in trouble with the law. There's only so much we can ask the sheriff to do."

Izzie has been whimpering softly throughout this whole exchange, but she stops when Derek steps back from Peter in favour of reaching for him. Stiles obliges and hands her over. "Someone wants cuddles from Alpha Daddy," he says, and for some reason that breaks the tension. Suddenly the other Betas are all over them both, hugging and scenting and generally acting like the overgrown puppydogs they are. Even Jackson gives into the urge by awkwardly petting Izzie.

"We're glad you're staying," Erica murmurs, her face buried in Stiles' neck.

Stiles laughs and hugs her, even as he reaches between Scott and Boyd to take Derek's hand. "We are too."

***

It appears that Peter made the right choice; the pack has no more trouble with Izzie, and (with a bit of creative talking by both the sheriff and Melissa), Stiles and Derek are given full legal custody of Isabel Rose Stilinski. The pack absolutely dotes on her, but neither Derek nor Stiles are particularly surprised by this development. Izzie grows into a beautiful, strong, and smart five-year-old; it's no wonder she and Peter have developed a relationship close enough to rival even Izzie's to her fathers. Izzie already knows what expressions to use to manipulate others, how to talk and act (Derek blames Scott for the puppy-dog face, and Peter for the acting) to stay out of trouble, and she has everyone wrapped around her little finger.

Derek watches, his arm around Stiles's waist, as Izzie and Peter wrestle on the loft floor; Derek and Stiles may have moved into another apartment in Beacon Hills, but Derek kept the loft, since it's more convenient for training. "Who would've thought," he muses, his thumb rubbing idly against Stiles's side. "Izzie and Peter getting along so well."

Stiles sighs contentedly and leans into Derek, a soft smile playing on his lips. "We should've seen it coming, actually," he says reasonably. "He did save her life. And I know Peter's... a bit weird, but I think he's actually good for her."

Derek pulls a face. "Going by the way she acted _before_ he saved her life, I wouldn't have expected this."

Stiles laughs and pats Derek's chest. "We don't have to like it, but we can't exactly stop it, either. Is Izzie happy? Has Peter exhibited any psychotic tendencies since he started spending time with her?"

"... No," Derek admits. It's odd to think about, but the more time Peter spends with Izzie, the more human he seems; he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would kill someone to preemptively protect his family. He's closer now than he has been since Lydia brought him back to being the Uncle Peter Derek knew before the fire.

" _Uncle Peeteeer!_ " Izzie shrieks, giggling as Peter tickles her mercilessly down on the loft floor, "no _fair!_ "

Stiles looks over just in time to see Izzie lose control for a second and sink her claws into Peter's forearm, and he barks out a surprised laugh. "She's definitely your daughter, though."

" _Our_ daughter," Derek corrects, smiling as he watches Peter growl playfully and shift into Beta form, and Izzie just laughs and tackles him.

"Yeah," Stiles agrees, soft and awed. "Ours." Five years down the line and he still can't quite believe it sometimes. "C'mon." He turns, and Derek will have to leave the room with him if he doesn't want to let go. "She's okay."

She is, Derek knows that; he knows that, as long as the Hale pack is around, nothing is going to harm his daughter. As he follows Stiles, Derek smiles to himself; he’s got his pack and his family, and they’re all bound together. Nothing can come between them.

 


End file.
